All posts tagged Kevin Ward Jr.

It’s impossible to sort out who knows what, because so much of what we know about the driving incident that ended with the death of Kevin Ward Jr. is speculative. We see the video of Ward running out on the dirt track to confront Tony Stewart after a crash; we see Stewart’s car hitting Ward, and his resulting death. What we don’t know is anything else.

Surely, it was good for Stewart to sit out of Sunday’s Watkins Glen International race—and bad for his team that they previously stated it would be “business as usual” following such a horrible accident. The glib response confirmed what plenty of people were already thinking: that Stewart was a hothead, a driver who, despite his considerable success in the field, was known for his altercations with competitors and a relentless style that could make or break those around him. “The things I love about Stewart, and the things so many of his fans love about him, are the very traits that at least set up the conditions for Saturday night’s disastrous wreck,” writes Slate’s John Swansburg. “Stewart is a prickly, hot-headed competitor. That turns a lot of people off—he’s one of the more divisive figures in Nascar. But for his fans, who make YouTube tributes that highlight his irascibility, that attitude is what makes him great.” In a sport filled with bland sponsorship, Stewart was an appealing provocateur. Now, that appeal is being used as evidence—and until the legal ramifications are sorted out, the character analysis will keep coming. Read More »

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Jeremy Gordon is a freelance writer who lives in Chicago. He has written for TheAtlantic.com, MTV and Prefix and occasionally Tumbles and Tweets. The last time he cried was when Steve Bartman dropped the ball.

Jared Diamond writes about sports for The Wall Street Journal. He currently serves as a beat reporter covering the New York Mets and Major League Baseball.

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When Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao step into the ring on May 2, they will fight at the welterweight-class limit of 147 pounds—an odd, seemingly random number that has long held a special mystique.